Bathing is the washing of the body with a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution, or the immersion of the body in water. Bathing may be done for religious, ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity, but is most often done for personal hygiene. It is typical or common for people to bathe every day, often at the same time such as first thing in the morning or before going to bed at night.
Bathing for personal hygiene is a means of achieving cleanliness by washing away dirt and bacteria, and is additionally a preventative measure to reduce the incidence and spread of disease. It also reduces bodily odors. Where bathing is for the purpose of personal hygiene, bathing in a bathtub or shower is the most common form of bathing in Western, and many Eastern, countries. Bathrooms usually have a tap, and a shower if it is a modern home, and a large water heating pot. Water is taken from the tap or water heating pot and used in conjunction with soap and often a rag or sponge to clean a person's body. Soap allows otherwise insoluble particles to become soluble in water and then be rinsed away. Soap is an excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into another, immiscible liquid, or one that does not form a homogeneous mixture. For example, water and oil are immiscible. The human body produces oil on its skin, which attracts dirt. Soap acts to suspend the oil and dirt in water in such a way that the oil and dirt can easily be washed away.
A physical disability is any disability which limits the physical function of one or more limbs. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy. Mental disabilities may also impair a person's physical abilities. Entering and exiting a shower or bathtub generally requires the ability to use one's legs to move the rest of the body into the shower or bathtub area, especially in the case of a bathtub as stepping over the edge of the tub is generally required to enter the tub area. This act can prove challenging to people with less than optimal function of their legs as a result of injury, infection, illness, obesity or another cause of disability. Disabled persons must often have a second person assist them into the tub when they wish to bathe.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for a chair that is able to bring a person from outside a bathtub to inside a bathtub without requiring strenuous physical activity or the help of a second person.